Bad spring
Smooth, then a wall
- — No warning: the load jumps at the end of the range
- — Your body braces instead of working
Timeless Pilates Equipment
Handcrafted in France · Limited Production
Savoir-faire français
Fait main en France
Fabriqué par des artisans locaux, avec un soin particulier pour les proportions, les matériaux et les finitions.
Production limitée
De petites séries, fabriquées avec soin plutôt que produites en masse.
Feedback from clients
I recently purchased arm springs from the Archival Custom Shop and I absolutely love them. I have shoulder and neck issues — these springs are softer and help me to engage my upper back and triceps without getting into my neck. Vincent’s customer service was “magnifique” and has made me a big fan of his shop. I cannot wait to order more.
Sandi V.Owner, The Pilates Project · New Jersey, USA
My clients and I love my new springs from @archivalcustomshop. The feeling of how they open is amazing.
If you also find it hard to create length in your spine (and your neck) using a standard neck stretcher, I strongly recommend getting one from this small, unknown company. Sometimes it’s NOT the brand who makes something ‘original’.
Vincent’s understanding of the work and passion for details and quality bring things ‘back to Joe’.
I’m looking forward to more!
Monika S.Teacher, The Pilates Studio Warsaw · Warsaw, Poland
I looooove these springs. Here is my very strong client who tends to be a little bit stiff and finds articulating through the spine and finding full range with the heavy springs really challenging. And when she meets challenge, she forgets to breathe. Today she felt the rowing series on the Cadillac properly. She felt the range and she felt the breath helping her because she wasn’t fighting such heavy springs.
Stuttgart · 16–18 Oct 2026News · Workshop
Assess, Mobilize, Heal
From 16 to 18 October 2026, New York City-based teacher Michael Johnson (@matfit_nyc) led his workshop Assess, Mobilize, Heal at New York Pilates in Stuttgart, Germany, using Archival Custom Shop equipment throughout.
Michael taught strong fundamentals and showed how a spring's specific tension can be used to work on mobility and to understand how to move well. Many participants were won over by the Soft Arm Springs for their mobility work.
He also demonstrated our Neck Stretcher, with its gentle tension and distinctive opening mechanism. Every Soft Arm Springs demonstration was done with Archival Handles, which carry the spring's tension straight into the hand: nothing is lost, nothing is dampened. You simply feel the soft, progressive load of the spring.
Thank you, Michael.
Soft Arm SpringsFor mobility work
Neck StretcherGentle tension
Archival HandlesPure spring feel
On the lathe · Made in France
From tree to handle
Turned by hand from local ash
Every Archival Handle starts as a length of French ash, a dense, springy hardwood prized for tool handles for centuries. The wood is sourced locally and turned by our local woodturner: a short supply chain, with less transport and a handle you can trace back to its tree.
Wood turning is an art, and a craft in its own right.
Local ashFrench hardwood
Short chainSourced nearby
Hand-turnedOne by one
Hand-stitched · Compagnon du Devoir
Meet the makers
The Airplane Board, reborn
An exceptional piece, and one of the forgotten apparatus of the Pilates method, brought back to life. Its cushion is made by hand by an upholsterer-saddler and Compagnon du Devoir, trained in one of France's most demanding traditions of craftsmanship. He honours Archival Custom Shop with cushions of rare quality, carrying an unmistakably French touch.
An exceptional craftsman, in service of the Pilates method.
Meticulous finishConsidered down to the smallest detail
Chosen foamsSelected for the best feedback in every exercise
Double stitchingExceptional seams and topstitching
Understand the spring
Not all springs load the same way
The feel of a Pilates spring is written in its curve: how much load you get as you open it. A good spring builds gradually. A bad one hits a wall.
Good spring
Progressive, no wall
- — You feel the load coming and stay in control
- — On the way out and on the way back
Questions about our equipment?
Get in touch with the workshop, we are happy to help.